engines for dummies ?

[RESOLVIWOLF]

I am trying to learn but dont even know what a tappet is ! Is there a website that explains how engines work and what all the parts are etc..

 

cheers

 

 

Rich

[Anthony Micallef]

Jackal, have a look here. I hope its not too basic.

 

The Happy 7 Ownerteeth.gifteeth.gifteeth.gif

 

[New Barbie]

Another useful series of articles has appeared in Car Mechanics magazine over the last few issues, a sort of basics on the engine and workings - all the stupid questions answered.

 

I scanned in the first parts of the series and I can e-mail them if you want.

 

 

[RESOLVIWOLF]

guys thanks

 

those scans would be very good

you can send them to jackal@jackals-forge.com

filesize doesn't matter

 

 

cheers

[scooby dooby doo]

please excuse me if i'm going too basic, or ask again if i've not gone basic enough!

the camshaft rotates and each cam on it presses onto a tappet which has a valve under it (so 16 of them in a K).

 

the valve is a long thin stem (with a flat bit in the combustion chamber().

 

the cam is a big (well, 1cm across) smooth thing.

 

the tappet takes up the space between the two and stops the smooth cam surfaces from having to press on the hard end of a valve stem.

 

a hydraulic tappet is hollow and fills up with oil when you start the engine. this means that its just the right size for the gap between cam and valve. things wear a bit. so next time a bit more oil comes in so the gap is still right.

 

but this mechanism doesn't like 8000 rpm in a K so high spec engines go back to a solid one that you have to carefully space out (ie shim) to the correct spacing.

 

Dave Hooper - North London

dmch2@lineone.net